"She gave the party again a nucleus around which it could get
united," said Ambika Soni, a Congress party official.

Sonia Gandhi campaigning during state elections last month

Although she did not run for a parliamentary seat herself,
the 51-year-old Gandhi attracted large crowds during the
campaign. She was seen as a prominent figure that reminded
voters of the more glorious days of Congress, which was once
the most influential party in India.

Congress, which was founded in 1885, governed India for most
of the 50 years since the end of British rule, and the Gandhi
dynasty figured prominently during these years.

Rajiv Gandhi, his mother Indira Gandhi and grandfather Nehru
were all Indian prime ministers. Indira Gandhi was
assassinated in 1984.

"But Sonia Gandhi herself remains a mystery," Naqvid said.
"What she's thinking, what her economic policies are going to
be, whether she is a prime ministerial candidate for the
Congress party -- all that is still in the realm of
speculation."

This lack of narrow political interests -- coupled with the
Gandhi name -- is what gives her such broad appeal, said
Dileep Padgaonkar of The Times of India.

"The political ideology associated with the Nehru-Gandhi
family is more like an umbrella," he said. "They look after
all kinds of interests and I think that matters a great
deal."

"We believe since Sonia is a Gandhi and it is under the
Gandhis that India has seen stability, she is good for us,"
Soni said.

Many Indians do not view Gandhi as an outsider, although she
did not live in the country until her marriage in 1968.

"Ever since she married Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia has lived in
India," said one male supporter in a village. "She has
learned all about India and made herself an Indian. In fact,
she is a good example of a good Indian woman."